


Realizations & Confessions

by afteriwake



Series: All Of Time And Space [22]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-13
Updated: 2012-08-13
Packaged: 2017-11-12 02:16:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/485584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes a particularly bad argument with Amelia for Sherlock to realize exactly how he feels about her. Good thing John’s there to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Realizations & Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by [this gifset](http://bakerstreetmarauder.tumblr.com/post/29187724231/you-envy-me) on Tumblr. This fight is mentioned in the next big bang fic I’m posting on the 21st, so I needed to write it up before then. I hope you enjoy this story!

The door to 221B Baker St. slammed with such ferocity that John jumped. He’d heard the argument coming from Sherlock’s room, and what a row it had been. While Sherlock was not the perfect boyfriend he had been doing well so far, but he had made a serious misstep during a visit to Leadworth and Amy was not in a forgiving mood, apparently. John waited for Sherlock to emerge, and when he did a half hour later he was dressed in pyjamas and robe. He flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling.

“You should just apologize, mate,” John said after a moment, his attention on his open laptop.

“I did nothing wrong,” Sherlock said through gritted teeth. “Amelia’s being childish.”

“What happened, exactly?” John asked, looking away from his laptop.

“Her aunt asked her to come back for a visit. She didn’t want to go alone, and though I abhor Leadworth and nearly everyone who lives there I agreed to go with her. It was one disagreement after another, with her and with her aunt and with that hellion Melody. I’m incredibly lucky Williams didn’t get involved in the matter. When we came back I told her the next time she wanted to go to Leadworth she could go alone because I wasn’t stepping one foot in that town ever again, and she called me a name and I’ve had quite enough.”

“Have you two broken up?” John asked, his mouth hanging open slightly.

“I don’t think so,” he said, his brows furrowing. “She didn’t exactly say she wanted to stop being in a relationship.”

“What did she say, exactly?”

“That I was putting her off and she wanted some space.” He turned to look at John. “What does that generally mean?”

“It means you should go out, buy some flowers, go to her home and beg her forgiveness,” John said with a slight smirk. He’d gotten something similar to that phrase from his last two girlfriends since he moved into this home and it was all Sherlock’s fault. It was nice to see the shoe on the other foot.

“I do not beg,” Sherlock replied, glaring at John. “And I will not apologize.”

“Then you can probably kiss dating Amy good-bye,” John said, turning back to his laptop.

Sherlock got a thoughtful look on his face and sat up. “What would you have done?”

“In what situation?” he asked, not turning away from his laptop.

“Her aunt demanded we sleep in separate rooms. I pointed out I was already intimate with Amelia and it was pointless to try and separate us when Amelia would most likely sneak into my room anyway.”

“I would have just slept in separate rooms and let Amy sneak over. It could have made the stay more interesting. Next argument?”

“Amelia’s aunt insisted on having a party to celebrate Amelia’s newfound fame as a model. It involved nearly everyone from our past in Leadworth, including a few of Amelia’s ex-boyfriends. I chose to remain in my room the entire night and Amelia said I was being a spoilsport.”

“I would have gone for an hour to show my support, then gone and excused myself, claiming a headache,” John said as he typed in a reply to an e-mail. “Next problem?”

“Her best friend Melody had a bit too much to drink, found her way up to my room and decided to let me have it for ruining Amelia’s night. We got into a disagreement and I forced her out of my room. Amy found out she was in my room and thought something else had happened.”

John stopped typing and looked at him. “What did she think happened?”

“She thought Melody had tried to seduce me,” he said with a shrug. “Why she would have thought I’d fall for her charms I’m not sure. I’ve never had a pleasant relationship with Melody in the entire time I’ve known her.”

“Well, that sounds more like a problem she’d have with her friend than you,” John said after a moment’s thought. “I’d have just kept insisting that nothing happened. But I thought she trusted you more than that.”

“She does. The one bright spot of the whole trip was that she knows I didn’t do anything. But I get the feeling the breach between her and Melody will get healed faster than the one between her and I.”

“Why did you even agree to go if you hate the place so much?” John asked, curious.

“She asked, and I didn’t want to say no,” he said quietly.

“You don’t like telling her no, do you?”

“Not particularly.”

“She’s very important to you?”

“Probably the most important person in my life.”

“Sherlock, do you think you might be in love with her?”

Sherlock made a face for a moment, but remained quiet, and as John watched he saw Sherlock’s face. It slowly began to change into a face filled with confusion. “I don’t know,” he admitted after a few moments.

“Look at it this way. You nearly killed a man to save her, you’re willing to do things you don’t want to do because it will make her happy, you just said she’s the most important person in your life…if that’s not love, Sherlock, then I don’t know _what_ it is.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt love for anyone before,” Sherlock said quietly. “I always told her I wouldn’t know if I fell in love with her.”

“And I think you did,” John said gently. “I think you have been since before I moved in here, to be honest. Maybe you just need to admit it to her.”

“And what would that accomplish?” he asked, more curious than accusatory.

“It would help mend this breach,” John said. 

Sherlock was quiet. “I envy you sometimes,” he said. “You feel emotions so easily, and you understand them so well.”

“Yeah, well, my love life is messy enough as it is,” he replied with a slight grin. “If I can put some of my knowledge to good use then it’s worth the heartache and heartbreak.”

“I need to think on this some more,” Sherlock said, getting up. “Thank you for your insight, John.”

“Think nothing of it. Oh, and one more bit of advice.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t wait too long to tell her.”

Sherlock nodded and left the room, leaving John in peace. He hoped his friend would actually _take_ his advice, because in all honesty Amy Pond was probably the best thing to ever happen to Sherlock Holmes, and if he didn’t see that then it needed to be pointed out more often by far more people.

\--

Sherlock spent that evening and most of the next day pondering what John had said. Did he really love Amelia? Was that why he didn’t want to disappoint her or hurt her? He knew he cared. He knew he was attracted to her. But was it love?

Towards the end of the day he finally decided that yes, it was love. There was a depth to the emotion that went beyond simple caring, and as John had noted, he had nearly beaten a man to death for hurting her. That went beyond simple affection. He should have thought of this earlier, when she was gone and he felt that the light in his life had gone out, but he’d been so consumed with grief he hadn’t. That should have been a sign right there, but when it came to matters of the heart he was blind.

He didn’t want to apologize, but if this was to be the end of their relationship he at least wanted her to know how he felt, now that he had finally figured it out. Around five he got in a cab and headed towards Amelia’s flat. He was hopeful that she was there. On the way there he saw a florist’s shop and remembering John’s other bit of advice he got some flowers. Not roses; those were too cliché, and even he knew that. No, he got her an orchid, something more unique and more her.

He finally got to her door and knocked. He could hear her turn off her alarm after a moment and then she opened the door. She was glaring at him, and he held up the flower in her line of vision and saw her glare soften. But there was still a hard set to her face as she took the flower. “You can’t bribe me with flowers,” she said as she moved out of the way for him to come in.

“I know,” he said.

“Why are you here?” she asked, setting the flower down on her table in the entryway as he shut the door behind him.

“It has been pointed out that I may have behaved badly during our trip,” he said.

“That’s an understatement,” she murmured under her breath.

“I still don’t think I need to apologize, but that’s not why I’m here.”

“Then why _are_ you here, Sherlock? I’ve had a long day and I don’t want to get into another screaming match with you.”

“I’m here to tell you that I have finally figured out exactly how I feel about you, Amelia, and if this is to be the end of our relationship I want you to at least know.”

“And how is it that you feel?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“I have finally realized that I am in love with you, Amelia.” Her jaw dropped slightly and her arms loosened and finally dropped down to her sides. He waited for a moment and then turned. “I suppose this is good-bye, then.”

“No, Sherlock, wait,” she said, moving and grabbing his hand in hers. “You told me months ago you didn’t think you could love. I accepted I might never hear those words from you and then you just drop them on me. Give me a moment to wrap my head around it, okay?”

“I didn’t mean for it to be such a shock,” he said quietly.

“But it is.” She threaded her fingers through his. “I can’t expect you to be the perfect boyfriend. And I should have been more understanding. I probably never should have asked you to come to Leadworth with me. I know how much you hate that place. I just…I kind of wanted to show off, a bit.”

“Show off?” he asked, turning around. He caught sight of her face and saw the smile on it.

“Well, yeah. Everyone I grew up with knew I had a huge crush on you. And I got you, in the end. I wanted to show off, which probably wasn’t very nice of me but I wanted to just the same. I was being thoughtless, and I was so concerned with that that I forgot to remember that you aren’t like my other boyfriends were.”

“Ah,” he said. “So…you’re apologizing to me?”

She nodded. “Don’t think this will happen every time we fight. I was being insensitive and you were just being you.” She let go of his hand and put her arms around his neck. “You really do love me?”

“I just told you I love you,” he said, settling his hands on her waist and pulling her closer. “I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“I know,” she said, her smile getting wider. “Tell me again?”

“I love you, Amelia Pond.”

“And I love you too, Sherlock Holmes.” She leaned in and kissed him deeply. The kiss continued for a few moments before she pulled away. “I’m thinking it might be nice if we made up now. I hope you don’t have any plans for tonight. Or tomorrow.”

He grinned slightly. “I can postpone my plans for tomorrow.”

“Good,” she said before kissing him again and making her way towards her bedroom. And he had to admit, this was a very nice way to win an argument.


End file.
